Jeremy Rockliff speaks in Davenport this morning

Jeremy Rockliff speaks with News Breakfast in Davenport this morning, 08:50

Transcript

00:00Look, this is an election that Tasmanians did not want. It was forced upon us by the

00:08Labor leader, Dean Winter, and of course in partnership and unity with the Tasmanian Greens.

00:15Tasmanians were very disappointed, of course, there is a winter election, but nonetheless

00:20it's an opportunity for our government to reaffirm our clear plan. We were elected to

00:25do a job back in March 2024 and we need to get on with that job and finish that job for

00:31Tasmanians and just yesterday, James, of course, record low unemployment, 3.8%, the lowest of

00:38any state in Australia and that's a great testament to the hard work and innovation of all our

00:45Tasmanian businesses, our people and all those that are, of course, working so hard for and

00:51on behalf of this beautiful state of Tasmania, which I am so very, very proud of. And so,

00:57highest business confidence in the nation. We're going gangbusters. There's more to do,

01:02but we're willing to get on with the job and finish that job for Tassie.

01:07I did see those figures. I just want to take you to the make-up of the Parliament, though.

01:10I'm sure you've seen the headline today. It's in the local newspaper. The headline is Back

01:15to the Future. A poll suggesting that you might end up with pretty similar numbers to what you

01:19had five weeks ago. If that's the case, do you think you'll be able to keep on governing?

01:24Will you be able to pass bills and stave off any other no-confidence motions?

01:31Look, of course, we're absolutely roaring towards a majority Liberal government and that's what

01:37Tasmania needs. What I'm fearful of, and we're just, of course, celebrating and celebrating the

01:43great work of Tasmanians with that record low unemployment, we cannot afford to have a Labor

01:49Green government with the support, again, of radical independence, because that will put at

01:55risk, definitely, all the great work that Tasmanians are doing and have done over the course of the

02:01last decade. I'm so proud of the fact that we've created some 50,000 jobs in this state. We've got

02:07record participation of women in the workforce, and that is just so exciting, but also it allows us

02:13to fund those essential services that I know Tasmanians care about, and, of course, allows

02:20our government to ensure that we can support Tasmanians through what has been huge cost-of-living

02:26challenges across the globe, across the country, of course, and felt here in Tasmania as well.

02:33Sorry to jump in there, Premier. I just want to take you back, yeah. I just want to take

02:39you back to the make-up of the parliament, though, because most of the polls suggest that

02:42you're not going to get to that majority. So I guess my question is, if you don't get

02:46a majority, can you still confidently govern? Are you going to be able to stitch together

02:50a coalition, or are you going to face another no-confidence motion?

02:54Look, I've demonstrated that we're willing to work across the parliament. What the Greens

03:02have said, however, is that they have a plan to support Dean Winter in the Tasmanian parliament

03:09to form government. That is not what Tasmanians want, and Dean Winter needs, of course, to rule

03:17out that he will not accept the Greens' support of confidence and supply. Tasmanians cannot afford

03:23another Labor-Green government. We entered a recession. Last time, the Labor and the Greens

03:30formed a coalition together, a recession, 10,000 jobs were lost, and those essential services that

03:36I spoke of, we lost nurses. They sacked a nurse a day. They put hospital beds in storage, closed wards,

03:44because the economy went down the toilet. We cannot afford that. We cannot risk the great gains that

03:51we've made and celebrate today in the position that Tasmania is in.